Stitched Up
by Silverskink
Summary: A REVENGE EPIC. Imagine a barely-trusted ally double-crosses you in the worst way possible, but in doing so open themselves up to your revenge. Given a several million dollars, how many different ways could you possibly thoroughly shaft them? When you're a Shining Mokole, the possibilities are countless. One Garou is about to find out Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
1. Part 1 Chapter 1

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
Stitched Up

Part I: Half A Glass  
_"Let it rock" - Bon Jovi_  
_"Save me from a villainous imagination" - Ed Roberston_

Max glared at me. His clear grey eyes were full of utter loathing. His chiseled features were hard and unrelenting in their expression of contempt.

I was sitting in a study at Karnaj Mansion, and had caught my reflection in one of the windows overlooking the grounds.

I was in no mood to study. Seeing my reflection only made me want to throw a table through the window- only I couldn't do that now, because I was Max. Goodbye strong, capable, force-for-good Kate Collins, hello weak white inbred crazy Garou Max Karnaj.

I'd come to the study to try and break a spell. Max 'Kitten' Karnaj had wished I 'could see things from his perspective' – the cretin- and when the magic knocked him on his pathetic arse it was I who woke up feeling like I'd been slammed by the magic sledgehammer. I woke up as him to find out he was I. We had briefly exchanged barbs before she'd stomped off and I'd turned to the Karnaj archives to learn more about the family line. I had hoped to get a little insight in to the Karnaj mindset to maybe meet the conditions of the wish and hopefully cause it to expire. The problem was, I was not the bookish type at the best of times, and today I was especially pissed. I wasn't learning much about the  
Karnaj line. I was reflecting on Kitten's absolute stupidity, his arrogance, and the fact that I really was justified in killing him for trying to wish me in to submission. I was in a bind there. I really didn't want to go and unload a clip of silver in to the Mokole that was Kitten in case there was a chance of restoring us to ourselves. On the other hand, I didn't want to commit suicide for the same reason, and I didn't want to live with any vicious self-mutilation. The question I really wanted answered was 'could this be fixed?'

While I had intended to study my mind had wandered considerably from the task at hand and I had eventually decided that I was far better consulting Zach for figuring out how to break a spell than trying it on my own. I shoved the Karnaj Family History tome across the table and stalked out of the study to find a phone.

I led myself to the master bedroom without realizing I was doing it. I picked up the phone and dialled the number to Warren's apartment, hoping one of the boys were home. "Yellow." It sounded like Warren.

"Is this Warren? Is Zach there?" I asked.

"Just a moment." Warren passed the phone off.

"Hello?"

"Zach? This is -this is Max," I said with a scowl. "I need your help. Kate is under a spell. Her life is in danger. Can you help?"

"Where is she?"

"We're at the mansion. Karnaj Mansion. Please hurry."

"I'm on my way," Zach replied and hung up. Thanks Zach, I thought. It was heartening how loyally he responded.

"JEEVES!" I roared. I walked across the room and opened the grand walk-in closet. Hmm. Jeeves arrived momentarily.

"Yes, Sir?"

"I am expecting a visit from Zach Tizonneaux," I growled. "Make sure he is not impeded by ANY security, and is brought straight to me."

"Very good, Sir." The butler left.

I hated Jeeves. Jeeves was as bad as Max but with even more suspicious motivations. However, I thought it would be a bad idea to alienate him too early. "By Gaia you're vain," I sneered at my reflection. I didn't realize how many mirrors were in Karnaj Mansion. I remembered Max being afraid of mirrors. Weird.

I started rummaging through the closet. Military uniforms, business suits held no interest to me. I had no desire to dress in the ridiculous Japanese-superhero attire Max had adopted since he became a Glasswalker. If you're going to look good, why not look good? I took my time finding something a little more Shining.

"Mr Tizonneaux, Sir," Jeeves announced.

"Thank you, Jeeves. Goodbye," I barked. Jeeves disappeared. As usual, Zach looked alert.

"Where's Kate?" he asked. I gritted my teeth. I had been wondering what I would say to Zach, and I still didn't know.

"Zach... Kate isn't Kate anymore. Kate is Max and ... I'm Kate," I explained. The words felt like venom in my mouth.

"What?"

"Max used a fetish to make a wish that I could 'see things from his perspective'. We were knocked out, and when I came to I was not Kate anymore... I was this..." recounting the events were making me unhappy. Zach was watching me very carefully. He took a slow step backwards.

"Do you have any proof?" he asked. "Er..." My mind went blank. "Sure... my name is Kate Kookaburra Collins, I came from Rainforest Meets Sea in Northern Australia. My name is amongst the Mokole is Jiba," I started, realizing from Zach's expression that these were not exactly secrets. I went on. "I know you're from Eight Sons Wallow in Louisiana. I've met your father, Julio, when I was wandering a few years ago. He gave me an arm brace to give to you. Ah-" I paused. Zach looked surprised and a little uncomfortable. "Should I go on?"

"That's fine," he replied. "This is bad. This is really bad. We have to fix this. Tell me again what happened. Don't leave anything out."

"I don't know." I had ideas in my head I didn't like, phrasing them was difficult. "Before you arrived I was determined to reverse this. But I've had time to think about it and now I'm not sure." Zach's expression was suspicious. I went on. "First of all, whatever else happens, I'm not using that fetish. It's evil. The first time they used it, it blocked out the Sun, then it crashed a passenger jet. I am definitely not un-wishing this," I explained. Zach gave a grunt. "Second... Volcano does not resist change. The proverbial glass is half full as far as Volcano is concerned, and I should adapt and make use of my new strengths. This is a test. I know I've lost everything- literally- but I've still got considerable power, just a different kind. Maybe I can take advantage of it for the benefit of Mokole. I mean this is Max's fault- why shouldn't he pay for it?"

Zach seemed unconvinced. "I don't like the sound of it. Embracing change is one thing, but once you've taken that step, the next step is embracing Garou culture, followed by Garou biases, leading to..." he gave me a dark look- "...how far does it go?"

I shook my head violently, repulsed by the thought. "Uh-uh. No way. I'm still me. The change is done. I know where the good fight is and who needs to be helped. I won't forget." I laughed bitterly. "Although, I have already forgotten. Max stole my Mnesis. I promise." Zach was looking doubtful again. "I promise I will not forget who I really am and who I should really help. I already have some ideas."

Zach sighed. "If this is a test from Volcano, far be it for me to interfere." He looked resigned, and didn't seem very happy. "Is there anything you need from me?"

"Yes, please. I really need you to watch over the Wallow. I don't want to go there at all. I don't want to become familiar there or lead Garou there. Please keep it safe for me. That's the most important thing. I also have a small number of favours to ask, if I could."

"What do you need?"

"First, I'd like you to leave message from Kate on Sying's answering machine for me." I ignored Zach's good-natured smirk. "I'll get a script for you. I'd like to borrow Warren, and I'd also like you to write a letter for me in Dragon script."

"I can do that. What do you want Warren for?"

"I think the less you know the safer you'll be," I confessed. "I would hate for Max to try and get information out of you. I'm going to try and be as untraceable as possible. I need you to protect the wallow, and stay safe."

"What about Warren!?"

"I figured he was a distant-enough, unlikely-enough ally that he wouldn't be suspect. I'll keep him in the dark too. JEEVES!"

"Okay then," Zach dryly replied.

"Yes, Sir?" The butler appeared in the doorway. I motioned Zach to follow me and headed back to the study.

"There you are. Good. Prepare a transfer of ownership so I can gift Zach with a car later. Also, I want you to get a clerk to find me a list of New York City's top lawyers and bottom used car lots. Finally, I want you to find a weapon for me. A family heirloom. Preferably something bladed, definitely something non-magical. When all that stuff is ready, bring it to the study immediately. Thank you. That's all." I turned to Zach. "We've got a lot of work to do."


	2. Part 1 Chapter 2

I filled Zach in on my initial plans while we waited for Jeeves. "There's no need," I responded to his protestations. "Max is essentially guilty of taking the life of a Mokole, literally even. Death is a very appropriate punishment in either of our cultures. But we can't just can't kill him, obviously."

"It's not your job to judge," Zach pointed out. "I can try to get an Unshading up here..."

"No need," I replied. "I'm not Shining. I'm Philodox. I can definitely judge his actions, and determine how he should pay. This is my sentence."

Zach was still dubious. "I need to consult the Spirits on this."

"Oh great. How long will that take?"

"As long as it has to."

"Whatever! How many Mokole have Shadowlords killed? Mokole Mbembe from Ambalasokei even? And you're balking at condemning one? I can't believe this. How come I get the one friggin' pacifist Mokole Mbembe on my side? Gaia!"

* * *

Insisting that he needed time to mull it over, we headed in to the trophy rooms to recover some stolen artifacts. I could tell if Max thought they were of Mokole origin, but I needed Zach to confirm or identify anything Max wasn't sure about. We ended up with a reasonable haul- about half a trailer of items of varying cultural significance, loaded in to the truck. If Zach's mood wasn't sombre before, it was now. "Welcome to my life," I grimaced. We filled the rest of the trailer with Max's fiery orange Saleen S7. "Max is going to want WAY more room in his garage, now she's a dinosaur," I commented. "She'll thank me for saving her the trouble of getting rid of all her stuff."

"I can't drive Theodorus," Zach reminded me.

"You don't have to. He'll get you home."

"That's what I thought."

I spent the rest of the evening with my executive assistant planning the rest of my week. "Don't cause a meltdown," I told him. "I want you to transfer 20% of everything the Karnaj fortune is worth in to a single new account that I can withdraw from. Also, contact the Bronx Zoo - I want to fund a no-expenses spared upgraded to their reptile facilities, and have them name the buildings after me, Max Karnaj. We will also be adding top-of-the-line reptile enclosure expansions to the mansion in the very very near near future, so find out who they will be contracting and hire them first. We're going to be very very busy," I grinned.


	3. Part 1 Chapter 3

We spent a lot of time on the phone with various agents and representatives of the Karnaj fortune, moving it in to a few different directions. Specifically, putting higher priority on Mokole interests. I also bought Warren's apartment building and a magnificent town house in Manhattan. Finally, I booked a bunch of flights.

I needed a lawyer. A good one. One that could outmatch Max and not feel compelled to do him any favours. The next morning our first appointment was at Asp and Pointe Law Firm, the most expensive lawyers in New York. The receptionist showed me in to a large, modern office where a crisply-suited sharp-eyed professional gave me a worthy handshake. "My name is Max Karnaj. I want to change my will..."

Our next stop was at Deal City Auto. When I asked to see the manager I was escorted by a sullen young receptionist in to a small, messy office. The manager- or El Presidente, as he called himself with a pathetic middle-aged chuckle- was an overweight smiling buffoon wearing a ten-gallon hat and a suit that had seen better days. Casting an eye over the room as he twanged away, I gathered hints about who really ran the business. The Big Boss, for all the clutter, seemed only to have business cards, unused stationary and a coffee mug. It seemed to clear to me that this company struggled along thanks not to Honest Bob but to the downtrodden secretary. I bought out Bob's dealership on the spot  
and sent Bob into retirement.

When Bob was gone, I sat down with Lydia the Receptionist. "Okay, who really ran this business? It was you, right? Don't be modest, be honest."

Lydia looked tongue-tied for only a split second before agreeing with me. "Excellent. I have someone I want to keep out of my affairs. I am hoping I can stick her in Bob's  
chair and keep her busy with all of Bob's duties. She likes to think she's in to business but in reality she's a great mechanic and not much else. You keep doing your thing and I will triple your wages. How does that sound?"

* * *

"Sying Newheart?"

"Yes?" The young woman looked up from her desk. I was in a massage clinic in the city speaking to the owner.

"Good afternoon. My name is Max Karnaj. I have some unfortunate news for you. I'm sorry to say that your Great-Aunt's first-husband's step-daughter's second cousin twice removed, Helga Von Steigletz, has passed away."

"Oh," said Sying, in the tones of someone who feels obliged to sound sad but actually feels and sounds confused.

"I know. It's a very sad time. I am the executor of her estate. It seems that although she never met you, she thought very highly of you, and has left you something in her will. May I take a little of your time?"

"Actually I'm about to get off work. Would now be a good time?"

"How fortunate," I staged. "Yes, now would be fine."

* * *

"A house!? She left me a house!?"

"How generous," I mused.

Faking the documents had been a snap. Inside I wished I could be there when she saw the house  
and found the Telsa Roadster in the garage.


	4. Part 1 Chapter 4

When we arrived back at the mansion that evening, Zach was waiting for us. He handed me the Klaive, its leather case carefully painted with delicate glyphs. "I can't read this," I murmured.

"It says, 'A curse has befallen Jiba, Rolling Thunder Shining Gumagan of Rainforset Meets Sea, at the hands of Garou Max Karnaj.' This part just explains the nature of the curse... then this says, 'The criminal in question cannot be justly punished for this crime, so his son Marcus Karnaj, the bearer of this weapon, will be judged in his stead.' I've added that you request Marcus be delivered to Warrigul, who will... take care of things for you," Zach explained coldly.

"Thank you, Zach." I knew he wasn't happy about it.

"Is there anything else you need?" My friend asked.

"There will be, but not now. Just stay safe and keep the yard safe."

* * *

"We're not discussing this," I replied flatly to Marcus' mother. "This is too good an opportunity for Marcus. I am happy to cover all of the expenses. I had to pull a lot of strings to even get this chance. He's taking this scholarship, and that's it."

* * *

It had been a busy day. Before finishing up for the night, I sent a message out on GW Net.

Wanted: Experienced Cyber Realm Guide...

* * *

Three flights left New York the next morning. Each one visited 18 different cities on a circular route around the nation. Warren and I were on one of them. Every three stops the pilot was changed. In some airports, a decoy Max Karnaj boarded a plane or disembarked. Money exchanged hands, flight details were misreported, and no questions were asked. We arrived safely at our destination late in the morning, rented a car with cash from my briefcase, and went to meet our friend.

Tanya didn't recognize me for obvious reasons. It was good to see her, though. I'd asked Warren to make the initial visit to the wallow, drop a few names and find someone who would talk to me. I did not want to threaten the wallow in any way, so I had stayed clear and was willing to meet their every demand security-wise. Tanya and a bodyguard had agreed to meet with me in a safe but private location – a small boat in a deserted waterway. There were no humans around, but I was certain we were not alone.

I explained my situation to Tanya and allowed her to determine that I was who I said I was. Once everyone was assured I was the real deal, I presented my offer.  
"If this curse gets reversed somewhere don the track, I don't want the money to be traceable. I will deliver the full amount in 10 days, in cash. If you are willing to take my suggestions there are three places I'd like to see at least a little of it go to."

"Where are they?"

"My home in Australia, where my family live in Broome. Zach's home, Eight Sons, and Reliquary, the wallow we built. It might be less suspicious if any donations they receive is a little further down the track, though."

"I agree. That should not be a problem."

"Make sure it gets to where it is needed first, though. We're not that badly off." We weren't that well off either, but a lot of places had it worse.

"Tell me more about your second request," Tanya prompted.

"Ah, yes. Well. This idea makes good sense to me, but sometimes it's hard for me to see good sense these days. If you think this is a really bad idea, I'd really appreciate your opinions..."

Warren was on a flight back to New York the same day, but I stayed put for a little more than a week. I was under the watchful eye of the local expert Brood Kenner. I kept myself busy conducting business long-distance, directing the construction of the alligator facilities at Karnaj Mansion, holding telephone meetings with Mr Asp, recording my concept album and screening a few applicants for the request I'd put out for a guide. Three Glasswalkers had applied for the position but none of them really filled me with confidence enough to to go ahead with my plan yet. They had all applied early in the week, I wondered if I'd get any more bites.


	5. Part 1 Chapter 5

"So, in the long run it ends up as thirty-five million dollars over three years. If you're happy with that, then we have a deal," I finished up. I was in a small function room settling a business deal with a group of five men. Diago was attractively dark-skinned, with thick ropey hair and sharp eyes. He looked very pleased. He smiled and nodded a little nervously.

"Excellent." Tanya beamed. I held out my hand and Diago shook it enthusiastically.

"Thank you, thank you," he repeated.

"Can I meet her?" I asked.

"I will take you to her right away," he answered. We left our would-be conference room and walked out to the cafe patio. Amongst the tables of parents feeding fast food to their children there sat a single black woman wearing a black and white dress. Her expression was distant and a little solemn. She had a glass of water but nothing else- no purse, no hair clips, no sunglasses. She looked beautiful. Perfect. When she saw Diago approaching she stood up.

(Is it settled?) She asked Tanya.

"Yes. Daisy, meet Max Karnaj. Max, meet Daisy."

"A pleasure." I took her outstretched hand and give it a gentle kiss. "Do you speak English?"

"A little." Her accent was very strong.

"That's okay. I don't speak Dragon but I can understand it."

Tanya explained to Daisy that it was easiest if we completed the ceremony in New York. I insisted, however, that she bring any number of people with her that she required to feel safe and comfortable.

"You and your people are going to be very well looked after," I promised.

I had dropped the fortune off when I picked Tanya up, and she was to accompany us to New York to oversee the proceedings as an official Mokole director. She was extremely pleased with the pre-nupital agreement Mr Asp had prepared, although Mr Asp was very weary of it. We had many long discussions about the risks involved, and I knew Mr Asp thought I was a fool. "This document is watertight and outrageously in her favour. If, heaven forbid, she decided to leave you, she'd clean you out. I understand you want to protect her but why take such a huge risk?" He'd finally asked, exasperated. I had just smiled.

"In case I have an unfair change of heart," I'd answered. Now, in the presence of Daisy and her abridged entourage, Mr Asp had was ever the professional – but he still gave me questioning looks as we both signed the agreement. I wasn't going to bother explaining to Mr Asp how this marriage of convenience was convenient for me.

We were married at Karnaj Mansion in the grounds. It was all done in strict accordance to Karnaj tradition as dictated by Jeeves. The Renegades were invited, all of them showed up except for Varel.

Zach came and sat in the Bride's side even though he didn't know her. Daisy had a huge number of kin with her from her wallow, but no alligators. Following a brief, legally-bulletproof union ceremony officiated by one of my colleagues and overseen by Jeeves, we continued on to a grand wedding celebration in a more traditional Mokole style. Daisy's hand-selected team of Shrouded Suns conducted rituals and rites, binding us as husband and wife in the eyes of the spirits. The night hosted a wild revel in the grounds of the mansion well in to the late hours.

I led Daisy along the hall to the master bedroom. She was carrying a small handmade basket - a wedding gift, itself full of gifted wedding night fertility talens. "Are you ready, Daisy?"

My bride smiled her beautiful smile, her eyes drilling in to me. "Yes," she replied with a laugh and a little kiss. I kissed her back as I opened the door into the bedroom.

We were immediately aware of oppressive heat on us, rushing air and the strong, burning stink of sulphur. We were no longer standing in a Karnaj Mansion doorway, but a ledge inside the rim of a boiling volcano.

"Volcano!" I gasped. Above our heads smoke billowed in to the night, the stars occasionally appearing shyly between the plumes. "Volcano, this is my bride, Daisy. Daisy, Volcano is my Totem."

Volcano communicated to me that it was pleased with the actions I'd taken and the choices I'd made since becoming afflicted with Maxitis.

"I'm honoured to have pleased you. I did what I felt to be best," I truthfully replied. The rocky inner walls of the crater glowed red in the light of the molten lava as my totem blessed our union. "Thank you!" I called. The smoke swirled around us and faded, revealing the Karnaj Mansion master bedroom.

"Whoo," I breathed. I turned to Daisy. "How are you feeling?"

"Hot," she replied.

"Well, then."

* * *

"Definitely not my best performance," I apologized to Daisy in bed the next morning. "But probably the best I can do."

"You were great," she assured me.

"By my standards, I was embarrassing! I am finding that to be the case a lot- I have no stamina. Oh well. Hopefully I can improve in that department."

"I had a good night..."

"I'm glad." I gave her a kiss, she gave me a kiss, and we decided to sleep in a little more.

We had breakfast at lunchtime. Daisy was still learning what did and did not appeal to her homid tastes, and I had hired a nurse especially to make sure her health and diet were carefully taken care of.

Jeeves had given me the newspaper, which I glanced over, and the mail, which I read more carefully. The results of my mental health assessment had come in – I was as stone cold sane as any other rage monster, and had not raised any flags. This made me very happy- I was now certifiably responsible for my actions, and should this wish ever come to an end Max could not revoke any of my commitments by pleading insanity.

"Jeeves. Today I would like to give Daisy a tour of the Karnaj property. Would you be so kind as to take us around? Daisy is especially interested in security."

"Of course, Sir."

"Excellent. Thank you, Jeeves."

The fist stage of my plan had come together nicely. A nice chunk of the Karnaj family fortune had been frittered away untraceably to aid Mokole, my own friends were benefiting from my wealth, and my Mokole bride would deliver a baby of Karnaj blood, a legitimate heir to the empire. Max's entire legacy had been delivered in to the hands of Dragons. I had already sent Max's illegitimate offspring to die at the hands of my brother. It was time to turn the revenge up a notch.


	6. Part 2 Chapter 1

**Chapter II: Plan B**  
_"Let it roll" - Bon Jovi_  
_"Deliver me from my friends" - Ed Roberston_

"This is probably the last thing I will ever ask you to do for me, Zach."

We were in the Karnaj garage, surrounded by what was left of Max's collection of exotic cars. I walked across to the far side of the workshop and retrieved a small key from the glove compartment of a 1932 Ford Flathead Roadster.

"What are you planning?" Zach asked seriously. I slipped the key in to my pocket.

"Well, I have set up everything the way I think it should be, the best I could," I began. I strode back to the far end of the garage and took two sets of hearing protection from a hook on the wall. I handed one to Zach. "Hold this. I don't feel there is any more good I could possibly do." Above the hook was a half of a 1939 Austin Healy Sprite mounted on the wall. I stared at the car, focused on emptying my mind, reached up my hand and spun the outer wheel like a combination lock. I let Max take over unlocking the combination. "I think it's time really stitch Max up."

In front of us, a Porche Boxter began rising up off the floor in a column that revealed itself to be a large secret elevator. I walked in and turned to see Zach had not followed.  
"Don't you think you've done enough?" Zach asked levelly. I stared at the Mokole.

"No, Zach. I haven't." I could feel my anger rising. I knew Zach was unhappy with Marcus's fate. When I saw the child's face in my mind, my anger drank up his fearful, bewildered expression and remorselessly raged for more. "Look at me. Look at what you're talking to," I spat. "I will never have done enough. If crushed Karnaj Mansion to a smoking crater and sent Kitten and Jeeves and all his kin to Erebus, then I might have done enough. He didn't kill me, or torture me, or do anything else distasteful that I might recover from, he stole me. He made a foolish, rash, wish to dominate me. Me! I was mentoring him! I let him in to my home! Given a chance, he would take control of me like a puppet in a heartbeat!" My voice was raising and I could feel a slippery slope forming beneath my feet. I sighed and pushed my anger away. Zach was the only being in the whole world who could have withstood that. His common sense was always a compliment to irrational impulses, and his quiet expression could quell my fury. "I'm not going to harm anyone," I promised. "I want to set up some safeguards in case this curse actually ever gets lifted. This is not going to have any impact on anyone other than... this," I gestured at myself. Zach stepped in to the elevator.

The doors opened after a short decent in to the basement. We stepped in to a small chamber with another door on the opposite side. I placed my hand on the biometrics scanning pad and in a moment the door had opened in to the next chamber. Zach followed me through as the first door closed. In the next room was another closed door with a small black lens at eye-height next to it. "This is the last really easy one," I muttered, gazing in to the retina scanner. After a few seconds a red indicator light blinked green and the doors opened in to a third chamber. Like the previous rooms, it was small and completely devoid of anything other than two exits and ambient lighting. A recording of a woman's voice played.

"At the tone, provide passphrase." I responded automatically. Zach sniggered as the recording announced access was granted and the door opened to the next room.

"What's funny?" I asked. Zach gave me an incredulous look.

"Really? Your passphrase is a bit...self-absorbed, isn't it?" I was genuinely surprised.

"Is it? I don't really know what it is. I can only get through the security if I kind of tune out and let Max's habits take over. I don't know any of the combinations or key codes or anything."

Zach smirked. "If you don't know, I'm not going to tell you!" I frowned as I pushed through the door, feeling unfairly embarrassed.

"It's not my fault Max is a tosser," I pointed out.

"I know," Zach insisted. He still looked far too amused. I sighed and stared in to the keypad for the next security check. The panel was in the middle of the room, opposite a wall-to-wall mirror. I tapped in the security code which verified with a small beep before the room came to life. Instantly the lights dimmed and nightclub strobe lights started swinging through the space. A whining electric keyboard was accompanied by a snarling voice.

_"No matter how hard you try, you can't stop us now!"_

Two panels in the floor parted to reveal a Dance Dance Revolution platform. I stepped on to the platform and stared at my reflection, nodding my head slightly in time to the music, letting Max take over. Behind me the wall was lit up with visual accompaniment of the music video for Rage Against The Machine's Renegades of Funk. There were no instructions – just a full-on break-dance routine poured directly out of Max's memory. Back in the good old days when I'd been the Mokole I couldn't remember Max ever doing anything terribly athletic, but apparently he was pretty good at it. It was not a short routine, and I was pretty beat by the end of it. Finally the song faded and the far door opened.

"When Max does that, he has Hummingbird's help," I pointed out, catching my breath and stepping off the platform. "All ass no class!"

The next room was small and dark with a red LED sign scrolling text above the opposite door. A Morse Code station sat in the middle of the room. I sat down, stared at the text, and tapped out the messages as they scrolled by until the door opened in to the next room.

"How many doors are there?" Zach asked.

"Lots," I replied as we headed towards the door.

"What happens if you fail one of these security tests?"

"Ah... I think the floor opens up in to a shark tank."

"Wow. That's gonna suck for you."

"Aha." I smiled at Zach and pulled out twin pistols, cocking them with a fluid simultaneous motion. Before Zach could say anything I'd donned the hearing protection and fired the guns each five times. Every shot hit a pop-up target of Mark Karnaj between the eyes. I didn't stop walking, just headed straight through the room in to the next chamber. Zach followed without saying a word.

In the next room there was nothing but a large heavy door that appeared to be for some kind of vault. I slotted my pistols in to the openings in the door and cranked them outwards. With a heavy metallic click the lock released and I pulled the doors open with the handles of the guns.

The next room was lit with black walls, floor and ceiling. The floor of the room was marked with a white grid made of 1'x1' squares. "There are laser trip wires. You have to go through them in sequence. I'll go through first, and then I'll try to guide you through."

Zach glanced around. "Where are they? Do they reach to the ceiling?"

"No..."

"Pshaw," Zach scoffed.

"Er...right..." I replied, feeling dumb.

I strode through the lasers while Zach scuttled across the ceiling and waited for me at the door on the other side. I hit the open button and we walked and spidered respectively in to the next room. The final door was a large, plain security door.

"What?" Zach asked. I had been gazing at him. The me part of me sitting on top of my brain was kind of envious of Zach and his saurine features. I was missing my dinosaur. Zach was very lucky in my eyes. Some other part of me that was actually not me did not like being confronted by a warform Mokole at all. I could control it and overcome it, but I could not deny it- there was a lot of Max left in Max.

"Nothing." I put my hands on the door and jamed the electromagnetic locks holding it closed. The lock released and the door was easily pushed aside. We had reached Max's secret basement.

The giant doors of the massive armoury opened to reveal every type of gun imaginable mounted on shelves floor to ceiling. In the centre of the room stood the Suit, the mysterious robotic armour I'd given to Max for reasons I could not remember. "Wow," Zach said.

As the lights flicked on in the room, the suit lit up and produced a faint functional sound. It took a step forward, then another one. It lifted one arm and pointed a wrist-mounted flame thrower at us. "Woah." Zach was impressed. I wasn't.

"It's actually not supposed to do that. I think we should run," I suggested.


	7. Part 2 Chapter 2

At my words, the arm raised in to a friendlier pose, like a wave or a salute, and the chassis popped open. Inside the armour was a beautiful young woman with blond hair and blue eyes. "Hi!" She cheerfully greeted. "Did I pass?"

"What...?" I asked. Then: "What!? Who are you and how did you get here?"

The woman opened up the suit and jumped out. She was tall, thin and graceful in her movements. Her eyes sparkled as she spoke. "They call me Plan B. I'm here because you heard you were looking for a Glasswalker to guide you through the Cyber Realm. I like trouble. Your security system was a snap for me. I think I'm hired. What do you think?" When she smiled, her light pink lips formed a soft heart.

"Er, do you have any experience in the Cyber Realm?" I asked.

"Lots. What do you need?"

"I want to get a cyber fetish."

"Oh, sure, I know a crew that can do that for you!"

"How did you get in here?" Zach asked.

"A lady never tells," Plan B replied coyly.

"Hmmm..." Zach was smiling, but I felt like it was a smile he used when he thought I should know better. Whatever. Zach was smarter than me but he didn't have more fun than me. I listened to his advice when I felt like it.

"It doesn't hurt for your team to have a Plan B," I reflected.

I had recruited Zach to dedicate the Supersuit so that I could take it with me in to the Cyber Realm. Zach did not like my plan. "Kate... are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"Don't call me that," I snapped. I was not Kate. Kate was a Gumagan Mokole. This abhorrent, blasphemous existence was not going to be labelled the same way as that. "I don't care if I die," I asserted. "When I was first cursed I had no motivation to go on except to re-assign my assets. Now my wealth is re-distributed, my friends are looked after, and I have a Mokole wife who, with our child, is set to inherit everything. I've done all the good I can do. I can't even be gloomy and nostalgic about being Mokole – memories without mnesis is like the difference between a film and a film review."

"What are you going to do?" Zach pressed.

"I am going to get a self-destruct installed," I replied. "I will keep a detonator for myself, and give one to Daisy. Max tried to control me once. If he ever tries again, he will die. Daisy can use it for defence."

"So why do you need the suit dedicated for that?"

"I am going to use it as payment. I figure it will go over well in the Cyber Realm. If I am successful, I will then go over to the Flux Realm-"

"Oh Gaia-"

"-and see if I can modify my shape. I miss being a dinosaur. Badly. I hate being a wolf. I am going to try and dinosaurify what I now am. I am sure I can turn my lupus in to a velociraptor and my crinos in to something else appropriate."

"That's..." Zach searched for words. "...I can't even begin to tell you how stupid that is."

"So what? I die? Oh well. I fail miserably? Oh well. I end up a freak of nature?" I laughed bitterly. "Oh well. Good news for Daisy."

Zach sighed. "What should we do about Kitten? Any requests?"

I felt my world darken just thinking about Kitten. "In my mind, Kitten is a traitor who deserves no mercy," I glowered. "But her crime has been paid for. I would not trust her, but I would burden her. She wished, she became a Mokole, Mokole have a job to do. It's time for her to get to work. Just..don't give her any opportunities to destroy what we built." With considerable effort I shrugged off the feelings of loathing and gave a sigh. "It's been nice knowing you, Zach." I held out my hand and smiled weakly as my friend gave it a firm shake.

"You too, Jiba."

"Take good care of Reliquary..."

"You know I'd defend it with my life."

"Yeah, I know. Goodbye, Zach."


	8. Part 2 Chapter 3

My reclaimed 'supersuit' dedicated an my guide ready to go, we left later that day. I'd given Jeeves orders regarding Daisy which he dutifully pledge to obey. Plan B led me through the near Umbra to a shadowy car yard, not unlike my former haunt. I couldn't be sure misty shapes in the darkness were actually machines or what. Near the heart of the yard Plan B swept her hands over a hulking shape, unveiling a thick layer of smoke as if it were a tarp to reveal an aged panel van.

"Put your suit in the back," she instructed as she opened up the driver's door.

"We're driving to the Cyber Realm?"

"You know another way?"

The van handled in the umbra more like a boat than a terrestrial vehicle. It was hard to tell where we were going, the path was mostly dark, and I couldn't really make out any road. We eventually did make it to a road, and the shadows in the darkness appeared as the dark reflections of Manhattan or something like it. There were vehicles in the streets, drones and spiders bustling around, and thin silvery strands caught the scarce light like transient razor-thin sunbeams. Plan B drove slowly through the streets, taking care to avoid unwanted attention. We crept through town and headed in to the back alleys where smaller spirits fought in piles of garbage and doorways harboured sinister figures. The Cyber Realm was utterly dismal. I was certain I would find what I wanted here.

Plan B pulled in to an underground garage lit with pallid fluorescent lights. "Get the suit." The floor was empty, but one wall of the space bore a huge grimy roller door. Plan B pulled on a massive chain hanging nearby, tolling an unseen bell to announce her arrival. A small window opened next to the roller door.

"Who is it?" a harried voice rasped.

"Good morning Doctor, it's Plan B. I'm here to set up an appointment."

"Plan B?" The window snapped shut, and the colossal roller door cranked open. The room within appeared as a vast workshop. Cluttered benches and shelves were dimly lit by  
intermittent shop lamps. The dark ceiling was crowded with chains, cranes, beams and other apparatus for hauling and hoisting heavy machinery. As soon as we entered the roller door started clanking closed behind us. Various industrial sounds of tools or unknown machinery echoed from the unseen depths of the workshop. Before I could take any more in, a hunched-over figure shuffled up to us.

"Come this way," he snuffled. Plan B gave me a smile, her perfect eyebrows arching lightly in an irresistible 'trust me!' expression.

I realized as we followed the figure that minor mechanical sounds- like the sounds of fine if somewhat strained gears- emanated from him as he walked. He seemed to have a slight limp, but otherwise seemed to be fluid and organic in his movement. I wondered but didn't ask.

We were led to a small room with what appeared to be a mortician's prep table under bright directed lights. Two other figured waited in the gloom. "Doctor, Plan B and her guest Maux Karnaj," our guide announced.

"A pleasure to meet you, Mr Karnaj," the second doctor intoned. He was a tall, mirthless man with a deep raspy voice, sunken eyes and thinning grey hair. "I understand you are hoping to work with us to develop a prototype cyber fetish. What is it you need from us?"

"I would like a remote-controlled self-destruct replacement mechanical heart, guaranteed to terminate any chance of reviving me," I replied. I think I contained the waiver in my voice.

"I see," the doctor said after a moment. He paused a moment longer. "That will not be a problem. We have some salvaged weaponry we should be able to adapt. Is this what you have bought for payment?" he asked, turning his attention to the super suit.

"Yes, sir."

"Mmmm." The doctor opened the cockpit and examined the insides. He glanced briefly at theinterfaces, spending more time instead with the mechanical workings. "Marvellous," he murmured. "This will be ample. To begin the development we will need to take a cast of your heart. Then we may begin right away. Do you have any questions?"

"You need to take a cast? You can't just ... do a scan...?" I felt a little alarmed. I had not realized I would be undergoing the knife quite so soon. The doctor gave a chuckle I found a little disturbing.

"Mr Karnaj, we are sculptors and engineers, not cosmetic surgeons. You may find our methods a little alarming but I can assure you our product is second to none, as Plan B will attest."

"It's true," Plan B chipped in. "Nothing but the best!"

"The sooner we complete initial measurements, the sooner we can start developing the prototype. Shall we begin?"


	9. Part 2 Chapter 4

When I woke up, I thought I felt as bad as I'd ever felt. Curiously, it seemed as though I was incorrect- maybe I'd never felt this bad as Kate, but Max knew he had certainly regained consciousness from far more brutal beatings.

"Good morning Sunshine." My eyes were bleary and I couldn't see her, but I knew she was smiling. I groaned. She laughed.

"What time is it?" I asked through a yawn.

"Seven," she replied, then after a slight pause, "I think the question you want answered is 'how long was I out?', the answer to which is 'three weeks.'"

My eyes snapped open and I sat up suddenly. "Three weeks!?"

"Uh huh."

"Uuuurgh. How on earth did that take three weeks?"

"It's a very complicated procedure. It involves regenerating your entire heart piece by piece."

She held up a bun. "I saved the left overs for you, I thought you'd be hungry when you woke up."

"You made a sandwich out of my heart!?" I stared blankly at her, really not knowing what to say. She smiled and offered it to me. Actually... "That sounds great," I agreed, accepting it from her. "Have you been here this whole time?" I asked, taking a bite. Mmmm. Max-heart-sandwich for breakfast.

"No. I knew how long it would take, so I came back when it was over. I've been playing in the city. It's fun here. I'll go and tell the doctor you're awake."

"We expected your regenerating capabilities to be a little better," the doctor explained.

"Yeah, no, I really am only as tough as I look," I apologized.

We left the doctor to design and build my device while we detoured to the Flux Realm. "Next stop, the digital web," Plan B announced as the van departed the doctor's garage, sans-super suit. We zig zagged through the city, taking the first exit to the information super highway we could find. We were able to travel a lot faster here than in the congested city. Around us, like a vast ocean, the web rippled and shimmered. Images, voices and imprints all jostled around mere moments away.

Once we cleared the city entirely the horizon swung up in to the sky, the information engulfing us. The visible layers of data flickered and overlapped each other like an infinite hive of insects. "The Internet never looked so good, did it?" Plan B remarked. I was thinking along a different line, I gave a little grunt of agreement. The part of me that was me was longing for the internet and its promise, like the promise diet pills offer an overweight teenager.

The Internet. A vast collection of disordered human impressions. A crude, shallow, soulless virtual version of mnesis for rats. Rats like what I'd become. I couldn't stop staring at it.  
"We could get closer if you'd like," Plan B offered.

"Let's do that," I agreed.

"Okay then." Plan B flipped open a call phone and spoke in to it. "Dial. Flare." A pause. "Hey. Yeah. What are you doing? I got a web tourist. Yeah. Yeah, okay, great. See you." She flipped the phone shut. "Our guide will be arriving shortly," she informed me. "Oh, there they are."

On the side of the road there were two figures standing next to what appeared to be jetskis on the bank of the web. We pulled over.

"Hello stranger!" Plan B chirruped. She and her friends exchanged greetings, I barely noticed. We were so close. "Max? This is Blocker and The Roach," Plan B introduced. The shorter of the two – The Roach – gave me a friendly smile and a wave.

"Nice to meet you," I responded.

"You're a Glasswalker? From the outside?" Blocker asked.

"Er... recently, yes," I replied.

"'Recently'?"

"I was technically dead for a while, and that's not the worst thing that's ever happened to me, or the strangest," I answered. Me. Max Karnaj.

"Right on. We have some catching up to do once we finish the upgrade." The two Cyber Wolves were directing attention to a panel in the side of our vehicle. Abruptly, the van tripled in size, appearing more as a subway car. The inside walls were covered in screens, all with the word CONNECTING... Instantly our vessel launched in to the sea, and immediately the screens were populated by the information as it swamped us. Newspaper headlines, world leaders, maps, numbers, celebrities, scenes of disaster. "So where abouts you from?" Blocker asked.

"Huh? Ah- New York. I live in New York City," I replied.

"Right on. We've been through there a few times, but mostly we used to haunt Vegas. Sneaking in to all the electronics trade shows and stuff. I thought New York was a bit stuffy. Who's in charge down there these days?"

"Er... Peter Ellison is the leader of the Sept of the Green."

"Ellison. I don't recall him. What's he like? Does he run a tight ship?"

I personally hated Ellison with a passion. I tried to imagine how Max would answer the question. "He's a manipulative backstabbing Shadow Lord. He's got an agenda, and there's not much to like about the bastard, but the Sept survived a massive attack last year so he must be doing something right."

Blocker was very chatty. The wash of information had not been as fulfilling as I'd hoped, so I indulged him. He was a 'Cyberwolf' – a Glasswalker who had more or less permanently relocated to the Cyber Realm. HE didn't get to meet outsiders very often and was curious about life in the world since he'd left. The Roach also listened, made a lot of funny faces, but never spoke.

Eventually the conversation came around to what I was looking for. I was hesitant to tell actual Glasswalkers what I had planned, and I had another idea in the meantime. "Can we look up a person here?" I asked.

"Sure." Blocker ran his fingers over a search panel in the touch screen. "At the moment we're just cruising the internet...some of the stranger parts of it, by the look of it," he noticed.

"We're on our way to the Flux," Plan B explained.

"Ah," Blocker said, in the diplomatic tone of someone who has been told something they find to be unsavoury. "No wonder you're coasting. Well. If you're looking for someone or soemthing in GW net, sure, you can access it right here. We should be going," he addressed the Roach, who nodded.

"I didn't mean to scare you off," I apologized.

"Oh, no, it's not that. It's just that we've been here a long time already," Blocker replied.

"Really? You've only been here a few minutes," I said.

"Time flows differently on the Web," Blocker explained. "More time has passed than just a few minutes."

"Oh really...?" I looked at my guide, Plan B. She gave me one of her perfect smiles.


	10. Part 3

**Chapter III: Revelations**  
_"You can't stop the fire burning out of control" - Bon Jovi_  
_"I would take it back" - Ed Roberston_

Blocker and The Roach left our web browser on the same vehicles they had arrived on. "You didn't think it was important to mention to me how much time was passing on the Web?" I remarked.

"You're going to the Flux Realm and you're concerned about the passage on time?" She replied. "You've been to the Flux before, you know how it works there."

"Fair," I conceded. I typed 'Mokole Kate Collins' on to the search. The screen next to me blinked obediently to my query with a bullet list of related articles. The screens over the rest of the walls started streaming with images and other articles. An unflattering identikit image, flanked by a very generic looking picture of a spotted lizard and an alarmingly accurate artist's impression of my archid form. Photographs of Theodorus with and without his trailer, and as an SUV. Satellite images of Reliquary. Seeing the junkyard sent shivers down my spine. I glanced at some of the headings.

SEPT OF THE GREEN: AIDED DEFENCE  
SEPT OF THE GREEN: TRIED FOR TRESSPASS  
SEPT OF THE GREEN: UNKNOWN INVOLVMENT IN ATTACK  
SEPT OF THE QUARTER: UNKNOWN INVOLVEMENT  
HOSTILE. HIGH DANGER. USE EXTREME CAUTION.  
GAROU ASSOCIATION  
CATEGORY: WH FE 4 001784586

I had no idea what my category was, but Max's brain translated it for me almost instantly. White – Fera – rather dangerous – and an identification number. White. They considered me a Friendly. A hostile, highly dangerous Friendly. I turned my attention to the satellite images. They were labelled ARCHIVE and RECENT with noticeable changes clearly visible. Hmmm. Apparently they were keeping fairly close tabs on us all over, although the dates on the 'recent' image didn't seem terribly recent.

Another screen listed ASSOCIATED ENTITIES. Max was at the top of the list. I tapped his name, and nearby screens started flowering with information about him. His disappearance, his change in tribe, his various roles in defending the Sept, and his duties at the Sept. I had Sept duties? I ready them with interest.

Through one of the few panels of open windows left, the cyberscape was changing as we drew closer to our destination. The information on the fringes of the internet was more frantic, deranged and crazy. The horizon warped in bands of hazy yellows and purples. We bobbed steadily through the growing discord – there was no clear path to the Flux from the Cyber Realm for obvious reasons. You had to fish for Wyld and follow where it went. Plan B was navigating slowly but steadily.

I tapped the word 'RENEGADES'.  
TIGER LILY: SURVIVING MEMBER  
What?  
VAREL, BONE GNAWER (DECEASED)  
MAX KARNAJ, GLASSWALKER (MIA)  
RED BEAR, WENDIGO (DIVORCED)

"Varel's dead!? What?" Instantly a screen appeared with Varel's sombre portrait and an obituary listing.

"Varel's death is what sparked everything else," Plan B sweetly explained. "After that... it was like a house of cards..."

"Murdered by Mark Karnaj," I murmured, reading the screen.

"One thing led to another," Plan B continued. A new screen splashed a newspaper headline 'PRESIDENT KARNAJ ASSASINATED' 'CHAOS CONSUMES NATION'.

"A high-profile presidential assassination completely wrecked the Veil. Once that was done, there wasn't really any stopping some groups..."

Screens were flicking fast and furious now with obituaries, pictures, articles and videos. A pack of Black Spirals swarming a shopping mall in a mad bloodthirsty frenzy. "Oh, this one's fun," she said, pointing at a screen. It appeared to be Times Square, but it looked like someone had dropped a bomb on it. "The Ratkin collapsed the streets in New York and went on a rampage. It wasn't pretty." She giggled. "It didn't take long for the mundanes to organize anti-supernatural military offensives. Whoops! Goodbye, Central Park!"

Peter Ellison, Take Out, Weston – pictures flicking by too quickly to take in – killed in battle. Detained, tortured. Killed in retreat. Missing, presumed dead. "Keep an eye on this guy," Plan B pointed out a name which maximized to an adjacent screen. "Jaywalker. Bone Gnawer. When it hit the fan, guess where he looked for sanctuary?" The screen switched to police helicopter footage of a speeding car on a very familiar rural road.

"No..."

"Reliquary was barricaded. It stopped the Bone Gnawer's car but it didn't stop the tanks when they came. Your crew did fairly well against the tanks," Plan B commended. "Against the air strike, not so much. Zach wasn't lying, by the way. Look carefully at that wreck. Does it look familiar?"

Reliquary had never looked so bad. Obliterated car bodies lay smouldering, the rest of the debris indistinguishable in the battle field. Looking twice I was able to pick out the remains of the office and the base of the burnt-out shell of a semi-trailer.

"Whoa there soldier!" Plan B laughed as my knees gave way. She gave me a pat on the back as I tried to regain my composure. I recoiled sharply.

"Where is this coming from? Who are you?" I demanded.

"This is just the news, Honey," she replied. "It's gonna make a splash when a place like Karnaj Mansion gets besieged." Images of the mansion being blitzed flooded the vista. "Jeeves didn't stand a chance. And you don't want to know what they did to your new Chief of Security."

The obituaries flicked on the screens too fast to read now. I briefly caught Zach's grave identikit, Plundermonk, a burned-out, policed-taped Apple π , - was that Warren? More stories of vampires overrunning the streets, Gaia's Chosen being hunted indiscriminately by justifiably terrified humans. "You're doing this," I accused. Plan B smiled sweetly.

"Yes, I am," she admitted.

"How!? Why!?"

"It's what I do, Sweetie. I never told you I was Garou..."

"You're..."

"Plan B. A second chance. A roll of the dice."

"You're-"

"Don't say my name! You know what will happen!" She teased.

"Sweet Gaia," I breathed.

"We're almost at the Flux," Plan B announced. "Are we continuing as planned?"

"I have to go back." Our browser had a back button, a large green arrow pointing leftwards. "Take me back!" I started pounding the back button. The images of destruction frenzied around me. "Take me BACK!" I shouted.

Plan B cocked her head with her irresistible grin. "Okay."

She snapped her fingers.


	11. Epilogue

I was standing in the secret basement next to the supersuit. I flicked on the security screens on the wall. In the garage, Jeeves was assisting Zach with the Saleen S7. In the kitchen, the chef was undertaking the construction of the most delicious cake in the world. In Max's study I saw myself making my first call to Mr Asp. In the grounds of the mansion, Kitten was throwing her seismic tantrum. I shoved my hand inside my shirt and ran my fingers over my new heart-surgery scar.

I heard a sweet giggle from behind me. I spun around to the empty super suit. I was alone.

I still had time.


End file.
